Personal use causes Rs four billion loss to exchequer: vehicles procured under development projects

Auditor General Office observed that out of 18,000 vehicles recently procured under various development projects, 16,000 are in personal use of project executives. Thus, misuse of these vehicles inflicts Rs 4 billion loss to national exchequer annually.
Director General Federal Audit, Syed Gulzar Hassnain informed the sub committee of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that it was general practice that vehicles were untraceable at the completion of each project, which must be surrendered to Cabinet Division as per rules.
He further said government departments were clearly violating business rules of government by re-employing retired bureaucrats in development projects. He said the government has a clear directive that any retired government officer who was re-employed in any project was no more entitled to draw his pension. Violating the service rules, retired officers are getting double salaries.
Reviewing the implementation status of audit objections of Ministry of Health, the committee was informed that Ministry of Health and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been investigating the scam of doubtful expenditure of Rs 65 million incurred on the purchase of Oral Polio Vaccine Concentrate Trivalent and Droppers.
The concentrate was purchased in December 1996 but lying unused in the cold storage till 2001. It created more doubts in minds about the origin of polio drops. On the contract, it clearly states that the Italian Company Biocine was the manufacturer. But the copy of packing list issued by Biocine Italy indicates Biocine (T) Company Limited Thailand as the customer instead of National Institute of Health (NIH).
The case has been brought to the attention of special committee of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday. Director General Federal Audit, however, said the NAB court issued sentence for 10 year to accused in 2005. After obtaining bail from court, the fresh status has not been provided, he said.
On the appointments in National Programme for Family Planning and Basic Health Care on fake degrees in MA Sociology and Statistic, the PAC directed the Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) to launch an investigation against the vice chancellors of University of Balochistan and University of Khairpur.
Seven persons were inducted in grade 17 on fake degrees in provincial health departments in 2004-05. PAC directed the Cabinet Division to formulate a policy to make it mandatory for health departments to verify the medicine degrees from Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) before any recruitment.
The committee was also informed that the implementation Committee on constitutional reforms and Ministry of Health indulge in dialogue on how to transfer ministry of health to provincial governments following the devolution plan of the federal government.
Secretary Cabinet and Health, Nargis Shetti said there was lot of administrative and intangible issues should be settled before the transfer of ministry to provinces. "At present, we engage with Raza Rabani's committee to look into different options and possibilities in tackling the transfer issue", she commented.
The committee also directed the ministry of finance to call a Departmental Account Committee (DAC) and see un-authorised outstanding medical liabilities on treatment in Crownwell Hospital by provincial employees and private citizens in 1996-97. The Ministry of Finance will also investigate irregular authorisation of Rs 700,000 on medical treatment of former MNA Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi in 1996.